CBR: Batman R.I.P.? (spoilers)

[CBR News]

First rumored in LYING IN THE GUTTERS just over one year ago, DC Comics'
much-hyped "Batman R.I.P." story came to a conclusion in "Batman" #681 by
writer Grant Morrison and artists Tony Daniel & Sandu Florea, on sale now.


Full article here.

Warning: article contains major spoilers.

Please respond only to the CBR article here. To comment on Batman #681, see this thread

[Clayton]

I don't know. I liked the story, but I can see that a lot of people are going to take issue with the lack of an explicit reveal. Generally speaking, comic fans like their clear answers and nothing in this story actually comes out in a direct fashion as Dr. Hurt being the "D". If we were to take direct implications, then Dr. Hurt, himself, says and continues to say that he is Thomas Wayne. If Bruce doesn't like this answer, then there is only one option. That option is never directly stated. At least, in the manner similar to that Hurt says that he is Thomas. Hurt, a madman. I think this is the best answer we have at the moment.

[I am MODOK]

I agree, I never got the impression that Dr. Hurt was the devil. Never even crossed my mind, in fact.

I liked the story as an adventure for Bats, but I didn't really think that this stuck out as quite the event that R.I.P. was made out to be.

I posted more on my blog:
http://comicperday.blogspot.com/

[RonFire]

I liked the story, too. By far the most interesting aspect for me was the flashback sequence with the poison and the way it got into Bruce's head. "You blinked. I switched cups. Force of habit." Gold.

Hurt's identity...don't really care. I'm not sure it was the Devil himself though. I would expect him to be....redder....or something. I think that bit about the fear in the devil's eyes was just a little old fashioned metaphor. Hurt is the "devil" because he's the greatest evil.


Put simply, I guess what I'm saying is that Batman is god. With little pointy bat ears.

[DanCMH]

Seriously? They actually went with the "bodies over the cliff" ending? Seriously?

That's an episode of "Hart to Hart" Not the goddamn Batman. I couldnt be happier that I stopped buying this two issues in... Now I just have to start dumbing myself down to believe all of Bruce's proteges will start fist fighting each other over Gotham to see who gets the cape instead of just talking it out like the rational adults they've been raised to be.

Dont even get me started on that Devil business...

[Pupasweet]

I am sad to say I didn't enjoy this story one bit. I have to say that this has to be the weakest performance Grant Morrison has turned in in sometime. A rambling narrative that makes the "plot" nigh incomprehensible coupled with art that is subpar as a storytelling tool (apologies Mr. Daniel) adds to this being a terribly overrated event. As for the identity of the villain, by the end it was to the point of not caring. Character motivations were non existent - see Jezebel Jet. However, the supposition that the villain was the devil? The use of symbolism and writing at many different levels can be a wonderful thing that adds a lot to a story but not at the cost of having a cohesive, at least somewhat linear narrative.

[rassmguy]

The Devil? Seriously? That's one of the most overused cliches, and its use here should have been squashed the moment it was suggested. The Devil has already appeared in the DC universe many, many times over the years. Enough with the freakin' devil already.

[pparker]

Only in a year where the dark knight is pretty much the biggest movie ever,
could dc go so wrong in mirroring the comic books success and quality.
This series would be called identity crisis if it wasn't already taken.

When Morrisson took over the title, it started off nice and fresh.
Iconic images and nice homages to son of the demon.
(which grant said he had never read. RIGHT......)

But things careened all over the place like a drunk ambulance driver screaming at people to get out of the way.

I think Morrisson is the one with a split personality, not bruce wayne.
Because this cannot be the same guy who wrote all-star superman.

I've been a fan of Grant's since i first read "gothic" in legends of the dark knight
years ago.
Do yourself a favour and pick up the trade of that for a much better take on batman.

[JillPantozzi]

Yeah the Devil didn't really come to mind for me either. I'm going to have to reread the whole arc but as of right now I'm fairly disappointed. Like one poster said, there wasn't enough explicit reveal.

[vickvega]

I thought it was pretty good. I didnt like the ambulance scene though, it was drawn badly and made no sense.

[Dr Manolis Dooplove]

was the point of that article simply to post spoilers about the issue? and strongly aubjective-opinionated attitudes towards the artist as well, and a not-sure-if-accurate account of the reveals in the issue. Are you 100% certain thats who Hurt is revealed to be?

[TimothyCallahan]

The Joker does call Hurt "the devil" and so does Batman. That's explicit. Now, they both may be wrong, but that's what they say. And, Hurt himself says, "ready to deal?" in a Faustian Bargain kind of way.

But you're right in the ambiguous nature of the reveal. It "seems" that he's supposed to be the devil, but does he turn into a red guy with horns and a pitchfork? No.

If you say the devil notion never even crossed your mind, I'm disappointed. Because it means you're not reading my columns!

P.S. I just posted my CBR review of issue #681, so you can see what I thought of the "shocking conclusion" (spoiler-free, although for you guys, it's too late for that, isn't it?)

[Kiryu]

The Joker does call Hurt "the devil" and so does Batman. That's explicit. Now, they both may be wrong, but that's what they say. And, Hurt himself says, "ready to deal?" in a Faustian Bargain kind of way.

But you're right in the ambiguous nature of the reveal. It "seems" that he's supposed to be the devil, but does he turn into a red guy with horns and a pitchfork? No.

If you say the devil notion never even crossed your mind, I'm disappointed. Because it means you're not reading my columns!

P.S. I just posted my CBR review of issue #681, so you can see what I thought of the "shocking conclusion" (spoiler-free, although for you guys, it's too late for that, isn't it?)

Tim! Get over in the 681 Spoiler thread! I'm talking about how right you were. Are you planning on doing a breakdown for this as well?

[Ronin II]

Well, I liked the Batman R.I.P. story, but I'm very dissapointed with the lack of a clear reveal. I kept turning pages with goosebumps thinking how the next one will reveal it, and nothing. :/

And, I'm not so convinced it was the Devil, if nothing I would say it was Bruce's Dad... A thought just occured to me, what is the most shocking reveal in Batman's 70 year history then? :/

[Clayton]

Sure, Batman calls him the Devil, but he also called him Pierce and was put wrong about that thought right away by Hurt, who again offered nothing as clear as "I'm Thomas."